Business View Magazine Jan-2019

40 THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION CAST POLYMER MOVING FORWARDWITH FORWARDTHINKING T he International Cast Polymer Association (ICPA) is a nonprofit trade association made up of manufacturers, suppliers, fabricators, and installers of cultured marble, cultured granite, and solid sur- face kitchen and bath products,which are made using the cast polymer process.The ICPA is dedicated to promoting recognition and demand for the industry’s products, supporting member companies on legislative and regulatory issues, and maintaining high standards of quality in cast polymer products. The ICPA began in the early 1960s,when a small group of manufac- turers and a supplier met near Chicago to discuss common concerns and challenges facing them in the cultured marble industry. In the early 1970s, the Cultured Marble Institute (CMI) was formally and legally organized to share manufacturing techniques,which, over time, helped to greatly improve cultured marble products.The organization continued to grow and, in 1993, the association incorporated as the International Cast Polymer Association.